Hella Juiced: Mikey McFly

October 11, 2018

Mikey McFly is an artist that refuses to be boxed by a genre. Born in Los Angeles but now residing in Texas, the Dominican rapper, skateboarder, and all-around great human being has turned his dreams of making music into a reality. Whether it’s pure hip-hop or big-name EDM collabs, Mikey remains consistent in unleashing records for his fans. Read more…

Coming up in the game as Enertia, Mikey eventually changed his name to adhere to a more family-friendly audience. With that being said, he uses music to detail his own personal experiences, in hopes of being a role model for the youth. Audiences can look forward to his upcoming project titled Drugs Are Really Expensive, with the lead single “Squad.”

For those who don’t know, who is Mikey McFly?He’s a kid that really just don’t care. Loves life, has fun. I’m an energy person, I like a lot of energy. Look, we could be a paid thing, but if I don’t like you, I can’t work with you. It’s that simple.

Where do you fit in the realm of hip-hop and R&B?Right in the middle. Right in the center. My music is right on the lines of Trippie Redd, Travis Scott, my brother triple XXX, God rest him. I like to make what I like to call skateboard trap. It’s fun, party all the time, take no prisoners, care-free.

You’re from Texas, how does that play into your life and career?I’m originally from here, LA. I moved out to Texas because my mom, school, my older brothers were getting into too much shit out here. [laughs] I moved to Houston when I was 13, then South Carolina, then to Dallas. My stepdaddy was in the army. I ended up coming back to Texas.

So where do you say you’re technically from? I feel like people always say where they went to high school.LA. It’s funny because I started high school, but didn’t even stay a whole semester. It was retarded. ‘Cause my brother man, he got locked up for attempted murder. My mom was like, “Fuck that, get Mikey ass up out of here.” And I ended up going to Houston. I always say I’m from LA, by way of Houston. ‘Cause Houston kind of made me but LA is home. My dad’s side is from here.

Is your brother still locked up?No, he out now. Dumbass. [laughs] That motherfucker is crazy.

How important is it to come to LA as an up and coming artist?Very Important. Outside of LA, I look at New York, Miami, Atlanta as the mecca of music, but LA being more influential. As of right now, you can’t go anywhere without a little taste of LA in it. Whether it’s the music or the culture, from fashion all the way down to just simple slang, we’re back in the forefront of music like when Tupac and them were up doing their thing. Coming out here is a must. I tell every artist to get out of wherever they’re at and go to LA. People in LA like people that have drive and want to be successful. It’s not a crab in the barrel mentality out here. If you wanna get a win, let’s get this win.

How long have you been rapping?Oh man, 12 years. I started when I was 15, and got serious when I was 15. I was just playing with words, but when motherfuckers started paying attention, it was like, ”Bro, I need to buy some music from you.” I was like “Shit, I don’t know how to do that, but fuck it. I started doing it.”

At what point did you realize this rap thing was forreal?I was at school. I was in the cafeteria doing a rap battle and I ended up getting a phone call. It was these guys Play-N-Skillz, they did Chamillionaire’s “Ridin’ Dirty” and Lil Wayne’s “Got Money.” They were like, “Man, you need to link up with these guys.” We hung out and ended up doing a record. Everybody was fucking with the record and I made a little money. [laughs] I was like, “Bro, shit, I can make money off putting words together? Fuck me bro, I’m not even in!” That was crazy. At that moment, it was all hands on deck. Music was everything.

What did you do with your first advance?I blew it on dumb shit. [laughs] I don’t remember. I got an advance and literally the next year, I was like, “What the fuck did I buy?” ‘Cause I had nothing to show for. I got a lot of clothes, a skateboard, and shit, but tangible — something that really matters like a house, car or shit — no way. [laughs]. I’m smarter now though.

Why the name change from Enertia to Mikey McfLy?I was doing a lot of work with Play-N-Skillz. Actually, I worked on Redfoo’s album when I was Enertia McFly. I got noticed and ended up meeting with Tubby at Columbia. I went in there and we were just talking. They were like, “What’s your real name?” I was like “Mikey.” He was like, “So then your name would be Mikey McFly?” I was like “yeah,” and he was like, “Why the fuck wouldn’t you go by Mikey McFly? That’s like the coolest name in the world.” It’s easy to pronounce.

So because the label heads said it…I mean, they’re label heads for a reason. And I had already been thinking about the change because just my name alone, it’s so much easier to digest. Some people can’t even say Enertia. Motherfuckers would be like “Interior.” The fuck is that? And it’s actually family-friendly. If a kid goes to his parent, “Yo ma, I wanna download the Mikey McFly song,” the name is not… threatening. [laughs] Their parents are like, “What the fuck is that?” Like “It’s Mikey! You said I could buy it.”

You’re gearing up to drop your D.A.R.E. project, which stands for Drugs Are Really Expensive. Talk about the inspiration here. It’s funny, but also concerning.Yes. [laughs]. Kids, don’t do drugs. I’m not advocating to tell kids to go do drugs at all, but it’s just a very true statement in my life: drugs are really expensive.

What is your journey with drugs?It’s pretty extensive. I’ve partaken in a lot of… I like to call them recreational drugs. The whole thing with that is me letting people in. I want people to know me. I want people to be able to when they listen to my music, they get everything from me. With the drugs that I was doing, all those waves of emotions are in my music from the happiest to the saddest moments of my life, to certain things that happened with me growing up. Basically, it’s an acronym of how life was for me.

Are you still using drugs?Yeah, but not like that. Nothing crazy. Not the stuff I was using, that was pretty bad.

What about in light of the Mac Miller’s news?That really bothered me. It’s so crazy because I just had a scare about a month ago. That’s why I’m kind of on this little spiritual journey right now. ‘Cause you don’t need them — just the ones that are legal, let’s just deal with those.

Were you addicted? Did you need to get help?When people say addiction, that means they had to have it. I didn’t have to have it. They need it to function. For some people to get out of bed, they need to have coffee (I think coffee is the biggest drug you need). But to me personally, I battled a lot of demons, so it was honestly more a release. I wanted to tell everybody that you don’t need ‘em. You don’t. After what happened to me about a month ago, I ended up being hospitalized and I couldn’t use my hands. That’s why my hands look like they do now. [raises hands] Seeing what happened to Mac Miller, it woke me up in a way where I’m like, “You know Mikey, it’s cool when you were doing it, but you don’t need it dawg.”

Are you clean now?Yeah, I only smoke weed. But all the hard drugs like doing coke to Oxy, I don’t need that. I was a pill head. I was a super pill popper, I was popping 3 to 4 pills. I would actually pop them before my shows, so I would blackout after my show. [snaps] They would find me.

And you were able to perform?That’s how I performed! I literally just performed sober for the first time in 7 years a couple weeks ago. Lil Ronny had to help me through that. It was actually kind of fun ‘cause I could see everything. I could see how everybody was engaging.

Were you nervous?Yeah, I was super nervous. That’s why I did D.A.R.E., everyone is just coming into my world. I’m not telling people to go use it or nothing like that, I’m just telling you they are expensive — what I had to do, what I went through, the wave of emotions, they are gonna hear that in that album. They’re gonna hear the dark, but they’re also gonna get the light.

What else can we expect?I got a couple videos I’ve already shot. I have a song called “Suicide” because of a personal attempt. I put a lot in that, it was behind a girl. But I also have a message at the beginning of it, a PSA to let people know that they are beautiful. I want people to know that they are not the only ones. I don’t want you to feel alone and people like me, I’m willing to talk to you and help you.

You’ve worked with some great names in music from Wayne to Akon to Frenchie. Talk about the collabs you’ve done.Akon, that was super cool. You wanna know what’s crazy? I worked with French before French was French. French Montana was just now starting to really do his thing and he ended up doing the remix to “Betty Crocker” at Knockout Studios in New York. That was the funnest shit in the world. He is so down to earth and cool.

You know who’s super cool? will.i.am. In the studio, that guy’s a monster. He’s amazing. I was able to vibe and work with him. We were just playing words off each other, and we literally made up a song on the spot. He went right in the next room and cut a full song. Redfoo, we did a song called “Literally I Can’t.” Even when he was on tour, he was like, “Man, bring him out. I want Mikey to come out. I want him to perform.” That was super dope. And Lil Jon, they are just good guys at heart. You would be surprised with how big they are and the songs they have in the catalog. It’s super cool.

Talk about your friendship with Lil Ronny. What’s the greatest memory you share with him?That’s my brother. Lil Ronny is a funny guy. It’s crazy ‘cause we have known each other for years. I was on the other side of the world, and we were always competing for music. When my single would come out, I would try to top his single, but I would always brag to people how dope he was. Cause I’m one of those guys, I’m a fan first. I know what fans want. I was like, “Yo, he dope, I gotta top his record.”

Later down the line, we ended up having a studio right across the street from each other. I messaged the heads of Dirty Water Music like, “I love ya’ll’s movement. Keep doing what ya’ll doing for Lil Ronny.” Because they were pushing him so hard. Literally 3 months after sending that message, I would end up having a deal with them. Off one DM. With Ronny, they made our relationship even closer. People think we are brothers, they’re like, “Ya’ll got the same mom right?”

What is your take on the music industry?I love it, because people are not held to a standard. They can be them. At one point, you could not wear what you wanted to wear. I’ve had my hair this color for years and I was always called a weirdo. In 2009 or 2010 looking like this? No way. Not acceptable at all. But now, it’s cool. You can be who you are. I love hip-hop for that because it allows everybody to show their creativity and be themselves. They aren’t forced to reform change to something that they’re not.

That’s what everyone preaches at school, like “be you.” You shouldn’t feel bullied or pressured to being anything that you’re not. I love the way the game is now, the people that are listening to the music like, “I like him for him. I like her for her.” Of course, you’re gonna have the haters. Who doesn’t? Every generation, it changes.

What are some goals for yourself as an artist?Really for me, I just love to create the music. I love to get to the people. I love to see them singing the music and actually knowing the words to my song. Right there is validation enough that I am doing the right things. But success wise, it’s for my family. I’m a real easy guy to deal with, like I could live in a box. I am not the guy that needs the biggest house. I’m definitely gonna be the millionaire that doesn’t look like a millionaire. Just my family, I do it for them.

What’s a normal day in the life? Walk us through.I probably don’t wake up till like 1pm or 2pm. [laughs] I don’t really eat breakfast, it makes me sick. I get up, go workout, call my manager, see what’s on my itinerary. Go straight to the studio, I am a studio junkie. I could literally stay in there for 24 to 48 hours. I go to the skate park. I skateboard and then back to the studio.

3 things you need in the studio?Women, weed, alcohol. It’s aesthetic. I have more options. I need like LightSavers, the gummies. Gotta have the gummies, they are the best. I gotta have aloe water.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing music?Music. [laughs]. I don’t know. A professional gamer. I am one of those guys, I get deep into it. I talk shit.

Favorite song to perform in a set?I actually have a few. One for sure is called “Hands Will Be Thrown.” I love that song. “Squad” is my single. Squad is an anthem. Squad is for everyone. I mean, everyone has a squad. Squad is “My N*gga” for everybody. Those who don’t feel like they can say it, go listen to “Squad. “

Who’s the most played artist on your phone? Favorite Song?Travis Scott. I listen to a lot of Tobi Lou, I would love to work with him.

Dream collab?It would have to be Travis, just because his creativity is just so amazing to me. Like in a world where you can do things a certain way, he breaks that. He breaks the mode man, he goes anywhere.

Anything else you want to let us know?Follow my IG, @hellooomcfly is the handle. And look out for the album, D.A.R.E., on the way!